Experts for purchase of drugs from central firms

Shortage of drugs continues to ail state health facilities ever since a drug purchase scam surfaced last year, ruckus over the issue in the state legislature notwithstanding.Banjotkaur Bhatia | TNN | Updated: August 17, 2015, 23:58 IST

Patna: Shortage of drugs continues to ail state health facilities ever since a drug purchase scam surfaced last year, ruckus over the issue in the state legislature notwithstanding.

The Bihar Medical Services Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL), which was mandated to buy drugs for making supplies to these hospitals, has not made any purchase in one year. Even bidders have stopped showing interest. According to corporation sources, four tenders were floated for purchase of 164 drugs in February 2015, but three or more bids were received for only 25% drugs. There was no bidder for 48 drugs. Only two bids were received for 24 drugs.

Experts have now floated the idea of making purchases through five central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in the light of a December 2013 directive from the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) of the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers. The directive, marked to all state health departments, talked about a national pharmaceutical purchase policy and said as many as 103 drugs being used under any central programme like National Rural Health Mission etc could be purchased from CPSEs.

Bihar health officials say procurement of drugs from the CPSEs was considered last year. But some “activists” objected to it, alleging they sell drugs at prices higher than private manufacturers. “That is a reality to an extent, but the price fixation has been done by the Union ministry on cost-based formula so that they can match the market competition,” said an expert. The CPSEs have also offered a discount of 16% to buyers.

The DoP directive paved the way for even central government’s directorate of general supplies and disposals (DGS&D) to make purchases from CPSEs, which it had not being doing for years. DGS&D is the nodal agency for the Union government’s purchase policy.

Bihar Financial Rules (BFR) offer ample scope for making such purchases as per the central guidelines. Rule 128 of BFR states, “The departments have been delegated powers to make their own arrangements for procurement of goods. In case, a department does not have the required expertise, it may purchase through the Central Purchase Organisation (eg DGS&D) or state purchase organization.”

Bihar can also take a cue from Uttarakhand, Haryana and Chandigarh (UT), which have started procuring drugs from CPSEs.

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A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao passed the order while acting on a PIL filed by Delhi-based dermatologist Zaheer Ahmed who complained that lakhs of medicines were being sold on the internet every day without much regulation, posing a huge risk to patients and doctors alike.